Discipline used in Kansas’ largest school district was discriminatory, the Justice Department says

Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says that discipline used by educators in the largest public school district in Kansas was discriminatory against Black and disabled students. The department announced Tuesday that the 46,000-student Wichita school district has agreed to revise its policies. Among its pledges is to restrain misbehaving students less often and stop using seclusion as a punishment. The agreement comes amid a national debate about classroom discipline; the federal government has similar agreements with Alaska and Iowa school districts. The DOJ said the Wichita district disciplined Black students more often and more severely than white students and that 98% of the time it restrained or secluded students, they had disabilities.